


The Choices We Make

by ImmortalCoelacanth



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Introspection, Spoilers for the ending, all of the children are traumatized
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29367039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmortalCoelacanth/pseuds/ImmortalCoelacanth
Summary: She could feel his fingernails sinking into her flesh as he clung to her. She could feel the board underneath her creaking and groaning with their shared weight. She could hear the static of the television, her freedom, buzzing so very, very close behind her.She could feel nothing but disgust for the boy that had been her "savior."
Comments: 23
Kudos: 194
Collections: Little Nightmares





	The Choices We Make

**Author's Note:**

> MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF LITTLE NIGHTMARES 2!!! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, DON'T READ!
> 
> Now with that out of the was-
> 
> Catch me writing more introspection on angsty moments that goes against the grain of what most people are saying XD

_Stupid._

_Moron._

_Idiot._

These words repeated themselves over and over in her mind as she glared down at the boy clinging to her hands. Bones that were not as fragile as they appeared ached under the strain, her wrists unused to supporting so much weight, but she refused to let the pain show. Even as his nails dug into her flesh and drew blood, her face remained shrouded in darkness, impassive and blank. 

It was what she preferred, of course. Hiding her eyes from the world and letting no one see. The eyes were the windows to the soul, after all. The Viewers did not have them, the televisions had taken them. 

Their eyes.

Their souls. 

They were _weak._

They had stupidly exposed the most vulnerable parts of themselves and suffered the consequences. Been changed by a power they could never comprehend, a strength they lacked, all because they had allowed themselves to fall into the tower’s trap. Their weaknesses had been exploited.

Six refused to be weak.

She would be strong, _had_ to be strong in this world. Being weak would get you killed, or worse. She wanted to survive, to fight and live and break free of the fear that encompassed her life. One day, she would be able to stop running, stop _hiding,_ but for now she had no choice. 

She had to wait until she was strong enough to fight back, but until then she had to keep herself alive. A struggle in the best of circumstances, and something that was practically impossible when you had a deadweight dragging you down. Like a brick that had been chained to her ankle as she struggled to stay above the water, always seconds away from drowning and never any closer to freedom. 

Mono was weak. 

It was something she had noticed right after meeting him. The fact that he had bothered to _free_ her, as if she had been incapable of freeing herself, and the worry that had been clearly expressed made it clear that his emotions ruled him. 

He had been _concerned_ about the girl humming her tune and playing her song, stopped whatever he was doing to swoop in and save her from whatever horrible fate awaited her. At least he had proven his worth by helping her get that ladder down and finding the key, but she did not _need_ his help. She did not _need_ him anywhere near as much as he needed her. 

The smile that would cross his face as he looked at his presumed _companion_ as he forced her to tag along on a journey that she had never agreed to, his mask everchanging and slowly showing her more and more of his personality. 

It was _disgusting._

Almost as disgusting as the hope that would fill his eyes whenever she caught him after an especially far jump. Previously, his face had been obscured and hidden by his collection of headwear, eyes safely hidden, but now? 

Now the whole world could see them, see how brightly they shone with joy at the fact that she had caught him once again, like she always had. 

How dare he.

_How dare he._

How dare he smile, be happy, as everything around them crumbled. How dare he become _emotional_ while hanging between life and death. How dare he act like everything was going to be fine once she pulled him up. 

_How dare he assume she would save him, assume she would save the one who had brought so much angst and fear into her life._

He was the one responsible for _everything!_

Everything bad that had happened to her had been because of _him._ She had been _captured_ because of him. Been dragged on this horrible _journey_ because of him. She had been attacked and injured more times than she could count because of him! Battered and bruised, crushed and left tasting blood. 

His hand always clamped around her wrist and tugging her along, _chaining_ her to him. His voice always calling out to her, _demanding_ her attention. 

He was _needy_.

He was _clingy._

_He was weak._

It was only when she first watched him touch that television, seen how he had instinctively moved towards it, _communed_ with it, that she realized how much trouble she had gotten herself into. He had been oblivious to how she _recoiled_ once she broke him free of the television’s influence. She had seen the door, the _eye_ , and quickly put the pieces together. 

He was being manipulated, clear and simple. 

How could he not see the trap he was falling into? The road that would lead to his demise, how could he not _question_ it and what he was doing?!

It was _obvious!_

So, so painfully obvious… 

Instinct was important to survival, but so was asking questions. _Why_ was he being drawn towards the city? _Why_ was he able to commune with the televisions in such a way?

What was behind the door? 

He never asked, never bothered to slow down and _think_ during any step of their journey. He had just stubbornly kept moving forward no matter what obstacle they faced or how grim the situation became. 

Like the hunter who had been shot by one of his own guns, like the doctor who had been lured into the furnace and burned alive, neither of their foes had stopped to _question_ their actions or think about what was going on. They blindly followed their instincts and it had led to their _demise._

And here Mono was, following in their bloody footsteps. 

At least the teacher had known when to stop, known that her prey had escaped her. She had not followed the instinct to hunt, to _kill,_ and had left that encounter with her life intact even though she had been one of their most aggressive pursuers. 

Even during their escape, he had been _weak._

He had allowed his injuries to slow him down, and the tower had closed in on him. Eyes that focused on him, and him alone, and watched as he struggled to jump over the newly formed gaps, stumbled over the bridges of flesh that appeared before him. He was slowing her down. 

_He had always been slowing her down._

In this world you had to be strong. You could not show weakness. You could not hesitate. You could not depend on others as the world would just take them from you, leaving you alone in the darkness. 

Six liked being alone.

_There was no one else to hurt her, or be hurt by her._

She liked the darkness. 

_It was easier to hide, to wait and watch._

The shadows that hid oh, so many monsters. The shadows children had been taught to fear. The flashlights that cut through the gloom and made her eyes _ache_ at the intensity of the light. He had taken the safety of the darkness from her more than once. 

She liked her song, her shadows that stretched out before her and made a shape that was far taller than she could ever hope to be. A form strong enough to fight and take what was hers. 

Twice now her song had been stolen from her because of him, him and his selfish desires. She did not need him to save her, she did not need him to help her, and she had been put in that situation, the _tower_ , because of him. 

_She hated him._

Hated him for how weak he was. Hated the audacity he possessed to think that she had ever agreed to help him. Hated that he had assumed that she _cared_ about him as anything more than a helpful partner. Hated the fact that, on the edge of freedom, he dared to drag her down into the darkness with him. 

The tower would _never_ let him go. His fate had been sealed long before he entered the city, and he was an idiot to think it would let them escape. 

There was no future for her as long as Mono was by her side, his life was chained to this place. There would be no freedom, and she would always be _weak._

Resolution steeled her nerves, tensed her muscles, and she lifted her other hand. Not to pull him up, nor to push him down, but to instead move her hood and brush her bangs out of her eyes. 

Eyes that had been hidden from him since the start of their journey.

Eyes that burned with malice and hatred. 

It was amusing, watching the realization of her feelings dawn on him and seeing the hope fade from his eyes. The shadows that dimmed his eyes and brought her salvation. It made her feel triumphant, even as her shoulders burned and her gut _ached-_

To survive you had to be strong. 

You had to fight.

You had to do whatever you needed to, no matter the sacrifice.

_She would survive._

His mouth opened, as though he were aware of what her decision already was, the start of him pleading for his life, but she was done with him. She had made up her mind ages ago on what to do with him the moment she was able to. 

The choice to break free from the weight that dragged her down. The weight that was holding her back. 

And, so…

Six let go. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am so very eager to see all the different theories that are gonna come out and all the cool details and symbolism people will discover as times goes on. I doubt anyone will know for sure what was going on in Six's head when she let Mono go, but I am ready to see the content that comes out of it, angst and otherwise.
> 
> EDIT: Can a fish not get some sleep without being threatened with murder (for once not relating to the fact that I'm gay, not sure if that's an upgrade or a downgrade), but at least that means I'm finally a legit writer! On a more serious note, don't start arguing with each other and shit in the comments, take that to Reddit or something. You're allowed to have your own opinions, theories, and interpretations of what happened (some of which are super interesting and I thank you for sharing them with me <3) but don't start threatening people or insulting them because you don't think their interpretation is "right."
> 
> Do I think Six is a bad person? No. Do I think Mono is a bad person? No. Do I hate either of them? No. They're two feral children traumatized by the world around them and struggling to survive and, frankly, they followed a precedent set by the series anyways (rip cancelled comics I hold you in my heart). It's a dark series and of course dark things, and interpretations, are going to happen. So I'll be deleting the comments with insults and shit, and to the people who are going around and stirring the pot, kindly fuck off and never read anything I write, I don't want your support <3
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading!
> 
> \- ImmortalCoelacanth


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